”Brits are happily skipping over the traditional notions of ‘middle age’ as the lines become blurred between what is classed as ‘young’ and ‘old’.

”A variety of factors – including more active lifestyles and healthier living – mean that people find their attitudes towards getting older are changing. Over half of the people surveyed didn’t feel that there even was such a thing as ‘middle age’ anymore.

”It’s clear what age you are has become less important in determining how young you feel.”

Eight in ten people think the term ‘middle age’ is much harder to define now than it used to be, and the same number think it’s much more a state of mind now than a physical milestone.

In fact, 43% of the over fifties studied felt they had not experienced ‘middle age’ yet, while 53% believe there isn’t really a ‘middle age’ stage of life at all anymore.

Nearly three quarters of Brits feel there is less of a divide between the age groups than there used to be.

Improved healthcare was cited as the main reason for a blurring between generations, while more than half thought increased communication and social media meant people are defined less and less by their age.

And when it comes to hitting the milestones, the older generation were three times more likely to describe turning 50 as the point they reached a new stage in life than when they turned thirty or forty.

84% of those surveyed believe if you think of yourself as old you’ll naturally start to feel old, while the same number feel their happiness directly relates to how healthy they are.

Illness and memory loss are the things people fear most about growing old.

Paul Keenan added:

”Being ‘old’ appears to be a state of mind rather than being a specific age. People no longer see ‘middle age’ as a numerical milestone and don’t tend to think of themselves as ‘old’ as they hit their fifties and beyond. I’m 54 myself, with the mind-set of a thirty-something – perhaps sometimes even that of a teenager!

”Living a healthy and varied lifestyle helps people to keep feeling young and we see people embracing getting older. ‘Middle age’ is becoming a term with less and less significance.”

TOP 40 SIGNS OF MIDDLE AGE

1. Losing touch with everyday technology such as tablets and TVs 2. Finding you have no idea what ‘young people’ are talking about 3. Feeling stiff 4. Needing an afternoon nap 5. Groaning when you bend down 6. Not remembering the name of any modern bands 7. Talking a lot about your joints/ailments 8. Hating noisy pubs 9. Getting more hairy – ears, eyebrows, nose, face etc. 10. Thinking policemen/teachers/doctors look really young 11. Preferring a night in with a board game than a night on the town 12. You don’t know any songs in the top ten 13. Choosing clothes and shoes for comfort rather than style 14. Taking a flask of tea on a day out 15. Obsessive gardening or bird feeding 16. Thinking there is nothing wrong with wearing an anorak 17. Forgetting people’s names 18. Booking on to a cruise 19. Misplacing your glasses / bag / car keys etc. 20. Complaining about the rubbish on television these days 21. Gasping for a cup of tea 22. Getting bed socks for Christmas and being very grateful 23. Taking a keen interest in The Antiques Road Show 24. When you start complaining about more things 25. Listening to the Archers 26. You move from radio one to radio two 27. Joining the National Trust 28. Being told off for politically incorrect opinions 29. Flogging the family car for something sportier 30. When you can’t lose six pounds in two days anymore 31. You get shocked by how racy music videos are 32. Taking a keen interest in the garden 33. Buying travel sweets for the car 34. Considering going on a ‘no children’ cruise for a holiday 35. When you know your alcohol limit 36. Obsessively recycling/ knowing the collection dates 37. Always carrying a handy pack of tissues 38. Falling asleep after one glass of wine 39. Spending more money on face creams / anti-ageing products 40. Preferring a Sunday walk to a lie in

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